Palmar Tent Lodge

Top choice in Isla Bastimentos


On the edge of the jungle and facing celebrated Red Frog Beach, Palmar has introduced glamping to Bocas del Toro to unanimous acclaim. Accommodations are in solar-powered circular tents for two to three, with all the comforts (including large lock boxes for valuables), wooden dorms, or a luxurious two-story thatched 'jungalow' for two. Guests 12 years and up are welcome.

The huge open-sided restaurant-bar is the place to be most nights (and days, come to think of it). The fun and well-informed owners, two friends from Washington, DC, offer a laundry list of tours and excursions and there are yoga classes (US$6) twice daily on-site. Water-taxi shuttles, included with your reservation, link the lodge with Bocas town twice a day. No internet.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Isla Bastimentos attractions

1. Red Frog Beach

0.04 MILES

Small but perfectly formed, Red Frog Beach is named after the rana rojo (strawberry poison-dart frog), an amphibian you're most unlikely to encounter here…

2. Playa Polo

0.95 MILES

Polo Beach wraps around a sheltered cove and is protected by a reef. It has good snorkeling. Can be reached by short hike from Red Frog Beach.

3. Wizard Beach

1.6 MILES

The most beautiful beach on Isla Bastimentos is awash in powdery yellow sand and backed by thick vine-strewn jungle. It's connected to Old Bank via a…

4. Nivida Bat Cave

2.63 MILES

One of Bastimentos' most fascinating natural wonders, Nivida is a massive cavern with swarms of nectar bats and a subterranean lake. The cave lies within…

5. Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos

3.39 MILES

Established in 1988, this 132-sq-km marine park was Panama's first. Protecting 130 islands of the Bocas del Toro archipelago, including the coral-fringed…

6. Playa Larga

4.37 MILES

This 6km-long beach on the southeast side of the island falls under the protection of the marine park. Hawksbill, leatherback and green sea turtles nest…

7. Playa Punch

4.75 MILES

Further up the coast from Playa El Istmito and Sand Dollar Beach is Playa Punch (or Paunch), which is dangerous for swimming but good for surfing. It's…

8. Playa El Istmito

5.04 MILES

Playa El Istmito, also called Playa La Cabaña, is the closest beach to Bocas town (2.5km away), but as it's on Bahía Sand Fly the chitras (sand flies)…